PEOPLE are more concerned about aircraft noise today than they were a generation ago, according to a major new survey sponsored by the government.The “ANASE” survey - Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England - was completed for the Department of Transport by consultants MVA.

PEOPLE are more concerned about aircraft noise today than they were a generation ago, according to a major new survey sponsored by the government.

The “ANASE” survey - Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England - was completed for the Department of Transport by consultants MVA.

It concentrated on people who live very near major airports across the country, although not Stansted, and tried to work out the impact of aircraft noise on their lives.

The survey suggested that attitudes towards aircraft noise has hardened since a similar survey was carried out in the early 1980s.

Using statistics from a survey in 1982, experts judged that people were now less tolerant of loud aircraft noise than they had been then.

That was despite the fact that aircraft are now generally quieter.

The big difference is, however, that there are now many more flights than there were a generation ago.

The survey also showed that the more people earned, and which social group they belonged to was also a major factor in their attitude to aircraft noise - people who earned more than £40,000 a year were more likely to be annoyed by aircraft noise than others.

The survey also looked at how much households would be prepared to pay to reduce their noise disruption as a method of working out how much compensation might be appropriate.

The report also found that the number of flights was as important as the noise made by aircraft for many people.

Dick Histed from the South Suffolk Air Traffic Action Group was unimpressed by the survey - which he felt was of limited value to the general public.

He said: “It's a very academic document which might make sense to statisticians but it is not really easily understandable to the rest of us.

“The main finding I took from this is that people are more likely to protest now than we were in the early 1980s.

“That is in line with society as a whole - we are less deferential now than we were in previous years but it really doesn't offer us any major new insights into the debate.”